Reluctance
by Kiella
Summary: Zutara... Katara finds Zuko, not believing his reasons as to why he 'refuses' to bend. Gathering her friends, she figures out that his sister is really out to kill him. Regretfully, she allows him into their group. Not easy to forget he almost killed Aang
1. Bathing In The Moonlight

Katara's flushed body was covered in small goosebumps as she rose to the surface of the water for air, paddling her arms and legs against the gloriously deep water in the moonlight. The soft patter of rain could be heard as it hit the water, ripples commencing from every direction of the waterbender. Keeping her head and neck above the surface, she tossed her hair over one shoulder before diving down once more. Spreading her legs, she dove further, surprised at the murky depth of the cold liquid. Oxygen escaped her lips, bubbling upward in large globules of ghostly foam. With a last kick of her legs, her fingers met the bottom of the river, which was just mud. Allowing her fingertips to splay through the wet slop, she picked up a handful before releasing it, opening her eyes in order to be able to see it float to the bottom.

The brown clay floated about the water, dancing mischievously before her eyes, then met the bottommost of the waterway. She permitted more air out of her lungs before she began to paddle back up for air. When she broke the surface, she began to gulp in the life sustaining chemical, which was only a playful breeze. Thrusting her body forward, she trusted her instincts to carry her to the riverbank, as her eyes were terribly blurred from the amount of water they'd collected on her last descent into the water.

Crystalline droplets of water clung to her face and undone hair, more were being added on by the second, for the rain was coming down fast and hard. Curling her fingers around the old roots of a willow which had just managed to break the soil's surface, she pulled herself onto the riverside. Curling her bare arms around her even more so bare chest, she attempted to shield herself from the biting winds. Pausing to rub her hands against one another, she blinked wetness out of her eyes. The friction of her palms being adjoined with the other made the numb go away, as she'd just supplied the circulation they'd been so desperately wanting. Bathing in the light of Yue, Katara silently cursed herself for not wearing her underthings at least. The underclothing piled near her side were the only things clean, so she'd really had no choice.

_Waterbending!_ she mentally slapped herself for not thinking of that before. Reaching out her hands, she spread her fingers and began to 'pull' the water from her hair. Her tan digits formed their own little dance, seemingly crystallized droplets of water forming a small circle of water in the air. When she was satisfied with her work, the waterbender casually flicked her wrist, sending the water flying into the bushes.

"Hey!" someone growled as soon as the water sloshed down against their form.

In a frantic jump, she scrambled for her clothing. She violently tugged on her underclothing, hoping that the person, whom the voice belonged to, had not seen her nude. Slipping her tunic over her head, still in a frenetic state, she whipped her head around, looking for a source of the offending noise. She stepped into her blue wool pants, shaking them out as she did so. She fell backward, pulling her boots on. In short time, she was up and searching for the man who'd she'd hit with her small glob of water.

The low grumbling of thunder could be heard. Seconds later, the forest, which had been shrouded in darkness, lit up with the flash of lightning. Katara yelped, mental images of Aang, her Aang, being stricken by an electricity, courtesy of Princess Azula. She stepped through a thicket, slightly shaking from very unpleasant memories, from just the other day. She and her friends had been on the run since then, attempting to gather forces to rid themselves of Azula and her cronies, the newest of her group...

"Zuko!" Katara felt herself stunned, staring down at the firebender, who was laying on the ground. Her shock was replaced by anger as she summoned a wave of water from the river. She unconsciously bent her spine into the correct posture, her arms into the accurate positioning.

A surprisingly large wave swept over him where he lay, sprawled out on the ground, his back connecting him to the forest floor. A soft gasp escaped his lips as the water froze, the water wench still in a defensive posture. She was ready to run if he decided to fight back, which was basically the inevitable. Her knees slightly bent, she hunched her shoulders, ready to pounce. Willing her muscles to relax, she spoke.

"Why aren't you fighting?" she demanded, her voice squeakier than she had hoped it to be. The Prince only stared down at the ice that had curled around his body in the shape of a wave. His face had grown pink from the cold, but his features were distorted and fuzzy in the rain.

"This is cold..." he murmured, unable to heat himself up. He suddenly felt tired, ignoring her next words.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you!" she hissed, forming a spear-shaped dagger from ice. It was held in the air between them, perfectly aimed at his scarred eye. He only blinked away sleep, holding back a yawn. He'd never been this cold in his life, and he never wanted it to happen again.

"Well?" she expected him to free himself of his prison any second now. She could just imagine the steam rise from his body as he firebended his way out of this one. She tensed her muscles; there was no way he was getting out of this one. Not when he sided with his sadistic sister. No way.

Melting the dagger, she lashed out at his ivory cheek with a perfectly formed waterwhip. It struck his cheek before splashing against his mop of shaggy black hair. A light line of blood formed against his cheek, and he seemed to finally be paying attention to her.

"As I was saying," she sounded quite angry with him. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't _kill _you!"

As if the gods were supporting her point, lightning flashed, the sky brightening for a split second.

"Go ahead." he looked away from her, his amber gaze locked on the rotting base of a recently deceased willow. She stared at him incredulously before closing her slightly ajar jaw.

"You hurt Aang. Bastard." Oh how she wished that she could curse him with every bad word she knew... Every word suited better for drunken sailors, than she, just a fourteen year old girl. She would save that for later. When he was begging for his goddamn life, that is.

"Azula did it, not me," he claimed in his gravelly voice, curling his lip in contempt. "If you don't kill me, they will."

"What are you playing at? How stupid do you think I am? _Liar_." She would have rolled her eyes, but she didn't want to take her eyes off of him, fearing he might use this to his advantage. How naive did he think she was?

"I deserve to die." he exhaled lowly. "I'm but scum. My father hates me, my mother ran away. My uncle? He used to favor me, but I betrayed him. The Avatar? I _almost_ got him killed, assuming he is still alive. You and your friends should just come out here and kill me together."

"Ha!" she barked out a few more peals of laughter. "_Right_. As soon as we get back, you'll be gone and there'll be a hoard of soldiers in your place. We aren't idiots, you know. We can see through this little trap of yours."

"If I could bend, I would've been out of this fucking ice already." How he hated her element at times.

"What do you mean, _if _you could bend?" she tried to hide her curiosity, but she was doing fairly poor at doing so.

"The acrobat-" he was cut off by a flash of lightning. Katara, obviously flustered, had a hard time of paying attention to his words. "My sister's friend. She can block your chi and leave you-" Katara cut him off, having had it done to her before.

"Leave you immobile." she finished, shaking her head in disgust. "I know Ty Lee can do that, but you aren't going to fool me. I don't care what you say. I'm just going to wait right here until you get sick of your ice chamber and decide to end your charades. Knowing you, you won't last another five minutes in there."

She smiled at her cunning logic, readying more water for an attack. Zuko only closed his eyes, shivering at each raindrop which connected with face, which was barely visible in the dim moonlight.


	2. His Favor

Katara's patience was worn thin even more every second that passed. Though she had readied a waterwhip for her own use in defense, Zuko still sat, shivering in the frozen wave of ice she'd entrapped him in. Hell, he seemed to be_ asleep_! The waterbender, while attempting to keep her attention on him, toyed with the now light drizzle. Using her free hand, she reached out and froze the raindrops over the Prince. Moving her hand in rhythmic motions, the driblets of water moved about in the air, mimicking her movements. She chortled as she permitted the frozen droplets of liquid to pummel Zuko's pale face. 

His eyelids flickered open and he sent her a cold glare. 

"As soon as I can bend, you'd better," he put emphasis on his words by allowing a low growl to escape his throat. "Be ready to_ run_." 

"Stop playing your games and get up," she sneered, freezing more raindrops. She suspended them above his lifeless body, making them sway in the breeze. One by one, they fell, hitting his face before bouncing off onto the ground. He cringed at each, craning his neck in a futile attempt to avoid them. Shuddering, he scowled at her. 

"I _suggest_ you leave." he whispered as soon as the frozen water ceased striking his face. His suggestion sounded more like a command. 

His expression was unemotional, but Katara couldn't help but feel intimidated, though she had the upper hand. 

"And why would that be?" she asked, slightly rolling her cerulean orbs. 

"Because," he started, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Azula should have sent out some assailants by now. I'm as good as dead." 

"And you just want to die?" she wasn't believing a word of this. She bent a snake of water out in front of herself, attempting to look casual as it swirled through her slender fingers. 

"I deserve to, if that's what you mean." he closed his eyes. "My life is forfeit. There's nothing I can do but give in." 

"You're in denial." she informed him, nodding her head. 

"No, I'm in acceptance of my _soon-to-be_ untimely death." by the time these words had been issued out of his mouth, Katara was gone. He opened his eyes when she did not answer, and he peered about the area. Cursing her, he closed his eyelids and waited for the assassins Ty Lee had promised him. 

Katara bound through the forest, hoping to make it back to the campsite before the men who Zuko claimed would be coming could come. She emerged into a clearing, surprised at how close it was to where the Prince was located. 

"Aang!" she hissed, grappling the sticks that held up the tent. Shaking it violently, she said her sibling's name. "Sokka!" 

"Wha-what?" her brother asked groggily, probably reaching about for his trusty boomerang. "Take that you nasties!" 

Katara could only duck as a piece of sharpened metal flew out of the tent flap, nearly grazing her shoulder. She turned, waiting for it to come back around. She chuckled as the air born weapon struck the limbs of a tree, becoming engulfed by the branches. 

"Sugar Queen?" Toph asked warily, emerging from her earthen tent. Her black hair was messy and tangled, and she didn't bother to fix it as she got to her feet. Instead of looking at Katara, she turned her head toward the forest. "What the?" she murmured, tilting her head. Stomping her foot for better vibrations, she attempted to better 'see' what was bothering her. 

"Aang, I found Zuko!" Katara informed the two in the tent. 

"Uh?" the Avatar asked, his bald head peering out from the tent flap. The waterbender repeated herself, firmly. 

"I found Zuko." 

"Zu-who?" asked the Earth King, crawling out of the earthtent the youngest had made for him. 

"So?" the monk ducked back into the small tent, intent on resting his sleep-befuddled mind. 

"Wait-" this came from the small structure. "What?!" 

"Sokka, calm down." she whispered, waving her hands in the air as if to silence him. 

"Where's my boomerang?" Sokka asked, finally fully awake. 

"Over there." she pulled open one flap and pointed in the direction of the tree. 

"My baby!" her brother cried, running for the small glint of metal in the moonlit tree. 

"Aang, what do we do?" she asked the Avatar, helping him out of the tent. 

"It could be a trap..." he considered his options silently. 

"My point exactly." she smiled. "I gave him a taste of his own medicine." 

"Did you guys talk?" Toph asked. 

"Yes." Katara sneered. "He thought I was really dumb." 

"How so?" Aang sounded a little angry that the Prince might think his Katara was in any way stupid. 

"He thought he could trick me!" The waterbender rolled her expressive eyes, grinning. "I saw right past his 'Ty Lee-blocked-my-chi' act, and I froze him to the ground." 

"Good going, sis!" Sokka announced. Her sibling was attempting, and miserably failing, to climb the base of a tree. 

"Did he say anything else?" Aang's earthbending master asked, who was currently pointed in the direction of a group of clustered together willows. 

"He said Azula wanted to kill him." Katara paused. "_That's a laugh_." 

Aang didn't seem too convinced. "You sure, Tara?" 

"Tara?" the water maiden ignored his last comment, and instead, focused on her new nickname. 

"Well?" Aang asked. "Show him to me." 

"Fine." Katara crossed her arms over her chest, and walked past him. She strode past Toph, but stopped short. Turning to the young Bei Fong, she spoke. 

"Will you make sure no one's coming?" 

"Sure. Lead the way," Toph gestured toward the forest with her pale arm. Katara nodded, taking the lead. 

The waterbender was attempting to retrace her footsteps, stepping over smaller bushes and shoving her way through the larger ones. Aang, Toph, and the ex-Earth King followed closely, leaving Sokka back at camp with Bosco. 

"What...?" Toph tilted her head toward a group of trees. 

"Right there." Katara pointed past the trees. 

"What is it?" the earthbender asked, sounding quite fatigued. 

"It's Zuko." Aang informed her, stepping closer. 

"That..." The Lady Bei Fong paused. "That thing is him? It just feels like a-" she stomped her foot for more vibrations. "It just feels like a-a... I don't know, but it doesn't look like Princey." 

"You should leave." Zuko informed them. "Unless you want to die." 

"There he goes again!" Sokka's sister threw her hands into the air, exasperated. 

"He's not lying." Toph announced in a sing-song voice. 

"I thought you couldn't see him-" Aang was cut off. 

"His butt_ and _arm is touching the ground... I can just barely make his form out in the ice, but he's there." Toph nodded, sure of herself. "And he sure isn't lying." 

"Azula really wants to kill him?" Aang and Katara asked in unison. The two gaped at the earthbender. 

"In fact, I think he's scared..." the earthbending master raised a brow in the Prince's general direction. "_Someone_ doesn't wanna die, do they?" 

Zuko closed his amber eyes, as he was incapable of turning his neck to look away from them. Suddenly, the amazing happened- he smiled. Katara's mouth was slacked so much, that a turtle duck could've jumped into there. The Prince suddenly began to wriggle in the ice, finally capable of movement. She could only stare as he made a strange movement in the ice, but stopped, scowling. 

"Still can't bend..." he murmured, relaxing back. 

"I think we should give him a chance." Aang said softly, receiving no murmur of agreement, just as he'd hoped for. 

Instead, Sokka and Katara were both demanding why. 

"Why? He doesn't deserve our trust-" 

"We give him a chance." Aang said firmly. "We'll keep a close eye on him." 

"WHY?" Katara screeched, reaching for Aang's arm. "You're mad! You're insane! I don't want you getting hurt, or worse-" 

"I'm right here, you know." Zuko said coldly. "I can hear you, I'm not deaf." 

"Katara, I need a firebending teacher." the Avatar said calmly. "We'll keep an eye on him, I swear. He'll be good, _won't he_?" He turned his gaze to the firebender. 

"I'm not teaching you anything, dammit!" 

As it turns out, Zuko decided 'willingly' to teach the Aang a thing or two about his native element. As Sokka recalled, Katara and Toph used combined 'girl-power' to make his mind.

After the Prince found his non-bending body plastered to a nearby tree with ice, along with 'pebbles' being slammed into his sides, he changed his mind. Or perhaps it was after a small unit of regular earthbending soldiers emerge from a group of trees, each intent on killing him. 

Maybe it was when Katara demanded a truce, as he owed them a huge favor for "Saving his useless life." Of course, he couldn't object her 'small' favor, when she ever-so politely asked him for it. 

No matter how hard he'd pleaded for anything else, he owed them a favor... Didn't he? Soon enough, he would be regretting such a decision to help the Avatar and his companions. 


	3. Training

"Breathe." Zuko commanded fiercely.

"I _am _breathing!" Aang hissed, scowling at the burning leaf Zuko had given him to concentrate on.

"You're doing it inccorectly." the Prince informed him.

"If you have a problem with my breathing, I don't care!" Aang shouted, finally fed up with his new firebending teacher's constant criticizing.

"Good," the older boy only turned to study the burning leaf. "Let your anger take over."

"What are you talking about-" Aang paused when he noticed that the leaf had turned into a well-controlled fireball. He passed it from hand to hand, not once burning himself.

"Not too fast." Aang frowned.

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

"Control it." this simple answer came from an overly impatient Zuko, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"_How_?" the airbender asked skeptically.

"Take a deep breath." The Avatar did as he was told, rewarded by the flame growing in size. "Walk."

"Why?"

"I told you to." Zuko paused, the faintest smile flickering across his features, before returning to his normal aloof expression. "No,_ run_. You question your master, you recieve punishment. Run, keep the flame lit."

"Fine." Aang jogged off, his face contorted in concentration as he attempted to keep the small fire going.

"Was that really neccassary?" Katara asked him from where she sat on a nearby boulder, meditating. The blue orbs of water that she'd been passing through her fingers returned to her waterskin.

"He knew better than to question me." Zuko informed her cooly. He bit back a chuckle when the small flame went out, as soon as the Avatar broke out into a slow trot.

"You know, he does better with positive teachings." the waterbender remembered giving her small speach to Toph, when she was teaching her younger friend earthbending. "You have to teach him, be kind. No more punishments. Positive teachings are key."

"Oh really?" Zuko sneered, not bothering to face her. Aang, who was currently attempting to light a new leaf aflame, for fear of his teacher finding out, turned to Zuko when he said his current title. "_Pupil_."

"Yeah?" the young monk asked, facing him. He grinned sheepishly, remembering that he had yet to get the flame going correctly.

"See those logs over there?" his student nodded. Zuko's hand shot out, flames sprialing from his fingertips. The logs were lit quickly, now a blazing fire. "Keep it lit."

"Hey!" Katara objected. "Aang, come on."

"Where are you taking _my _student?" Zuko questioned angrily. The Avatar paused between the two, not sure which to listen to.

"We're going to waterbend." she informed him haughtily.

"No, I don't think so." the Prince narrowed his eyes at her in a cool glare. "There are too many distractions, and you are one of the main ones."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Katara's jaw was slightly ajar as she scowled at him questioningly.

"The Avatar _refused _to firebend because you wanted to watch," Aang wilted after Zuko said this. "He was afraid to firebend, because you were here; as he said, he didn't want to burn you again. He has too many weaknesses- too many attachments."

"Compassion is a weakness, now is it?" the waterbender raised a brow at him. The Prince took a strode past Aang, and stood, towering, above her.

"Yes, yes it is." she couldn't help but shrink back at his impassive voice and large form.

"Aang, let's go."

"Katara, maybe I shouldn't..." Aang whispered, turning to face the flaming wood.

"You _deserve _a break." she told him, glaring at Zuko.

"He hasn't even _attempted _any firebending sets." his head was postured into an arrogant tilt. "If you want him to learn what I have to teach him, he _will _stay here, and learn."

"He's allowed to have a break." Sokka walked past the two, joining his sister on the other side of the boulder Aang had created for her.

Fuming, Zuko turned on his heel. "Do any of you pompous little twits want this war to end?" he cast this over his shoulder, wondering how it would sit with the Water Tribe peasants. He towered above Aang, who shrank down under his shadow. "You want this war to end, right?"

"Y-yeah." the firebender glared at him as his whimpered reply came. "I mean, yes sir?"

"Better." Zuko stood with an erect posture, scowling at the Avatar. "If you want this war to end, you have to learn _all _of the elements. You listen to me, got it?"

"Yes, sifu." Katara growled as Aang's answer came.

"Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will consist of firebending before dawn, throughout the afternoon, a short break, earthbending." Zuko said calmly.

"Fridays?" the airbender asked, afraid of his master's answer.

Ignoring his student's question, he continued. "Saturdays will be the same, along with Friday. You _might _have enough time for waterbending at dusk, _after _your trainings. Sundays is your half day off, followed by various breathing excersises and.. cultural expierences. Earthbending before supper."

"You jerk!" Katara strode toward him purposfully, her hands clutching her waterskin. Unnaccording to plan, Zuko didn't turn to face her.

Suddenly, she lashed out at him with a waterwhip. The snake of water struck his ear, leaving a small, bleeding gash.

"Peasant!" Zuko growled, turning to face her. She'd stopped a little ways away from him, but he came toward her furiously.

"Prince Zuko." she said, in a most unformal manner. "Ha!" she paused, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "Prince of what? Prince of _nothing_."

Zuko lunged for her, as she'd hit a nerve. He swung a flaming fist at her, which she narrowly dodged. Backing away from him, she readied herself for another attack.

"_Never_," he hissed. "_Never _mock me as you just have!"

"What?" Katara sneered. "You don't even deserve that title! You're a _peasant_, just like us."

The waterbender bent a small globule of water from her waterskin, forming it into a shield. Zuko only melted it with a quick kick, cornering her against a nearby tree. Suddenly, the flames stopped and the firebender wrestled her water source from her, throwing it far into the forest. Clutching her uppermost underthings- which she'd been wearing while meditating- he pressed her against the tree, growling.

"Don't you _dare_ do that again." he whispered, his face just inches from her own. "I swear, I'll hurt you, no matter how many people are watching."

"Zuko," a voice said in a dangerously low tone. "Get the hell away from my sister."

"Fuck it." Zuko spat, dropping Katara onto the forest floor. She landed with a thump, scrambling to pull the straps of her top piece of underwear, realizing that Zuko had loosened it. The firebender stalked off, and just moments later, Sokka and Aang rushed up to her.

"I'm sorry!" Aang gave her a quick hug. "We'll get rid of him, I swear!"

"Aang, no-" she was cut off by her brother.

"Yeah, let's just find someone else..." Sokka turned to her. "Did he_ touch _you.. _Anywhere_? Katara, if he hurt you..." he ended suggestively, his objections clear.

"Aang, we can't just let him go."

"Katara, he attacked you!" Aang's worried features softened as she hugged him.

"There's no one else... I was lucky to even find him." she whispered into the crook of his neck. "He'll have to do. Besides," she pulled away from her friend, frowning. "I provoked him, not the other way around. I swear, _I'll _apologize, and then just leave him alone."

"Are you sure?" her sibling furrowed his brow at her as she nodded. "If he ever does that stunt again, he's gone, okay?"

"Okay." the two youngest agreed.


	4. Odd Jobs

"You can stop staring at me, you know," a voice came from above, though the speaker's eyes were closed- or atleast, that's what it looked like from Katara's point of view, far below from the tree's uppermost branches, where a certain firebender was. "I'm not going to try anything."

"Yeah, right," she rolled her eyes, though it wasn't at him.. She was slightly embarrassed at being caught in her sleeping bag, staring at him, to make sure he didn't try anything. "So... How's Aang's firebending?" She asked, her attempt at making casual conversation. She paused to listen to her brother sleeping across from the fire, which had died down to small flames- independent little sparks, fighting the light breezes to stay lit.

"Fine," the waterbender nodded at this; his responses were always short.

The two's fighting had stopped- for the most part. They kept it at verbal attacks, since Katara didn't want to lose the firebender, who was willing to help Aang.

She snuggled into the warmth of her sleeping fur-lined sleeping sack, yawning. She closed her eyes, before gazing through her lashes at the barely visible form of the Prince, high up in a nearby tree. His crouched form was silhouetted by moonlight, and she was just able to see him toying with the sash to his Earth Kingdom robes.

--

_The Next Day_...

"Aang, you set up tents," Katara paused, thinking of something suitable for the 'Blind Bandit'. "Toph, do you think you could find that river Aang saw when he was up on Appa?" With an approving crack of her knuckles, the earthbender was off. "Um, I'm going to go get firewood." The waterbender looked over at the two remaining- Zuko was leaned against Appa and Sokka was sharpening his boomerang. "Sokka, you can gather some food this time. Fish, maybe."

A derisive snort came from Zuko, who pushed himself away from Appa's side. "He's more suitable for picking berries- though I wouldn't trust him with that." Sneering at Sokka, he continued, "He'd probably manage to find the most poisonous berries in the entire forest."

Instead of snorting, as the Crown Prince had, Katara gave a lady-like sniffle, "He only knows how to collect nuts." The scarred teenager gave her an approving look before speaking.

"Alright what do I have to do?" He raised a brow.

"Hey! Hey!" Her sibling waved a hand in the air, successfully gaining their attention. "Why don't we see how well _you _fish, pretty boy?"

"First of all, never call me that ever again, or you'll be eating dirt for the rest of your life," Zuko smirked, knowing the inevitable.

"Dirt?" Sokka asked.

"A demonstration? Of course," in one swift movement, Zuko had thrown the Water Tribe warrior to the ground, his face being ground into the earth. "Mmm, how does that taste?" The Prince had one knee pressing into the small of the other boy's back, and the other was on the ground, giving him balance. Letting go of one of Sokka's shoulders, he lifted his head off the ground with his 'warrior's wolf-tail'. Just as quickly as he had taken him down, he released the younger teen and backed away marveling at how much dirt he was spitting out.

"Jerk!" Boomerang boy cried- that was Zuko's term for the non-bending slob- Boomerang boy. Being someone who grew up with a sadistic little sister and a psycho father, he personally thought it was very witty. "Katara, tell him. Tell him he's a jerk!"

"Zuk," The Prince frowned at his nickname. Zuk? Where was the 'o' part? The last syllable in his birth name? Strange. "You're a jerk," she smirked toward her brother. "But your face when you bit the dust- literally- was priceless."

"_As I was saying_," The firebender rubbed his hands on his thighs, hoping to get the 'Essence of Sokka' off of him. "What do I do?"

"You can help Sokka," she grinned.

"_What_?!" The two boys asked in unison.

"You can't seriously expect _me_-" Zuko was cut off by a raging Sokka.

"Did you see what he just did? I mean, seriously-"

"If you want your brother to come back alive, assign me a different task." The Prince added in a hasty, "Now."

"Nope," The waterbender shrugged her shoulders. "You two don't have to work _together, _you just have to gather food. Shoo, shoo." She waved them off before snaking into the forest to gather firewood.

"Better not try that stunt again," Sokka warned, once his sister was out of ear shot.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" The Prince took this time to look especially menacing, squaring his shoulders and jaw, glaring down at the shorter boy. "Well?"

"I'm gonna go look for those nuts," The Water Tribe warrior scampered off. There was _no _way he was picking a fight with a firebender when...

A. His friends weren't there to back him up.

B. He had no clue where his machete was- Toph probably took it as her back-scratcher... Again.

C. He wasn't a bender.

D. Did he mention that his friends weren't there to back him up?

For the next half-hour, Sokka wandered aimlessly about the forest, picking up only the things he knew the names of. Let's see he found some acorns and maybe- what was that?- a rock? He'd been picking through the contents at the base of a tree, when his face went dull, before becoming shocked. He'd been hit, but by what... And who?

"Hey!" He rubbed the bump that was forming on his head. Looking down, he saw a strange multi-colored fruit sitting at his feet. "Who dares hit this warrior?" He asked no one in particular.

"I do," the answer came from above, more fruit raining down.

_Thump_, _thump_, _thump_. They hit the forest floor, rolling a little way from the tree. The boy of water ducked and dodged through these, attempting to look up and see Zuko- the speaker. _Thump_, _thump_, _thump_. Finally, he spotted him, near the tree's top- this was an incredibly large tree, at that- shaking a branch and kicking down the fruit he'd already collected.

_Thump_, _thump_, _thump_, _thump_, _thunk! _Sokka fell to the forest floor, clutching his bruised skull. The rain of fire stopped, and Zuko began his descent down, carefully climbing through the branches- backward.

After a few more moments, Zuko was nearing the middle of the tall tree, and without thinking, Sokka hurled his boomerang at him, while he wasn't looking.

The Prince cried out as the blade of the sharpened piece of metal struck his arm, and he lost his balance, crashing through the branches. He fought to regain control, but it happened like this- he would struggle to cling to the branches he was crashing into at an amazing speed, but everytime, gravity got the better of him and he would continue to fall. Finally, desperate, he reached for the other limbs of the tree that he hadn't splintered by landing on.

One smashed into his arm, and he lost all conscious thought of stopping himself, and he just, fell.

Though the tree limbs slowed his fall- and also horribly bruised his back- when he landed at the bottom near an amazed Sokka, he lay still, looking quite like he was in a daze.

"Holy... Shit..." Muttered the Water Tribe warrior where he sat on the ground. He didn't think that _that _would've happened!

Letting loose an angry groan, he attempted to move his arm. He hissed in a gasp of air when he realized what had happened. He'd broken his arm on the way down.

"Ugh, that doesn't look good," muttered Sokka when he saw the already bruising arm that seemed to be bent in the wrong direction.

"You think?" The Prince managed out through clenched teeth. Exhaling slowly, he pushed himself up with the other, un-broken arm; oh how it hurt to move. "Oh fuck," he murmured, almost afraid to move his broken arm. His golden gaze shot upward and he glared at Sokka. "Get away," he whispered, using a menacing monotone.

"_What_? I hate to admit this, but I'm willing to help-"

"I don't need your help!" Growled Zuko. The Water Tribe warrior sighed- he hadn't been acting as hostile as _this _since when he first joined the group.

"Good going, Sokka," he muttered to himself. Raising his voice, he spoke. "Come on, atleast let me help you..." He paused. Help you- what? "Umm, I'll go get Katara." Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and raced away from the area, attempting to stop the guilt-driven thoughts in his mind.

Why should _he _feel guilty? It wasn't his fault... "Yeah, it was." He muttered stoically as he ducked into the campsite. "Katara!" He called into the forested area he'd remembered her first going into.

"Yeah?" He whipped around to face his sister, who'd been setting down a pile of dry wood for a fire. "What's wrong?" She probably noticed the frightened expression on his brother's face- the exact expression he was hoping to not have!

"Um, well, you see. Uh, oh... How do I put this?" He struggled to find the right words.

"What? You kill Zuko?" She asked sarcastically, wiping her dirty hands on the bottom of her tunic.

"Well, not _exactly_." He joked, but Katara took it seriously.

"_What_? Where is he?" She asked urgently. She walked forward, her eyes wide. "What'd you do?"

"I didn't kill him, if that's what you mean!" He rolled his eyes. "But, I think I broke his arm..."

"Show me." Katara commanded, giving him a shove.

"Fine, fine."

They walked through the woods, but were surprised to find the fruits and broken branches on the forest floor, but not the Prince.

"Well?" His sibling asked. "Where is he?"

"He probably wandered off." The eldest shrugged.

"Why is there blood?" She asked, pointing to a small, barely visible trail of blood heading past the tree. Her brother bent over to retrieve his boomerang, which was in the immediate vicinity from where it had stricken Zuko.

"I sorta hit flames with my boomerang while he was up there," he gestured upward with his favored weapon, a small amount of blood flying off the edge and onto the bark of the tree. "He proceeded to fall. Not my fault he couldn't hold on."

It took the waterbender a while to notice, but they were following the blood trail.

Then, they heard voices...


	5. Secrets

"You mean, _Snoozles_... Did _this _to you?" Toph's sightless sea-foam green eyes lowered into a squint as she ran a finger over one of Zuko's wounds. Amazingly enough, she didn't seem appalled by the blood she encountered on his bloodied cheek. She blinked before removing her hand from his still face, swiping at the water she was so near- she'd been sitting on a boulder near the river's edge when the Prince stumbled into the area. As soon as she was sure all the blood was gone from her finger, she extracted it from the water's surface and wiped it dry on her pants, which had been curled upward so she could dip her legs into the water without getting her clothing wet.

"_Snoozles_?" Zuko asked incredulously- that did_ not _sound very manly. He leaned further toward the water, letting loose a low hiss when a deep cut, inflicted by one of the countless branches, met water.

"Sokka," she explained calmly, kicking at the water once more. "I know Mr. Loudmouth can be.. Uh," she continued to search for the correct wording, but came up short. "I don't know. Forget I ever said that."

"Sure," atleast the blind earthbender _usually _held her tongue when she was around the Prince. She was one of the only ones who didn't criticize him about every little thing. Best part was, was that she didn't know about his scar. She couldn't see his features- she couldn't see his mark of weakness. Though, he was sure that the Water Tribe idiot had informed her of it.

As if reading his mind, she spoke. "We've all been wondering. Or atleast, most of us," she paused. "How'd you get your scar?"

He let out a grunt of surprise and pain- she'd asked that question, just as he'd lowered his throbbing bruised leg into the small watersource. "Wait." He scowled at her, not realizing she wouldn't be able to see his angered expression. "Why do I need to explain myself to _you_?"

"Because, you seem fairly injured- you don't wanna mess with me."

She was right, of course, and Zuko knew it. With one arm broken- as he'd assumed it was- he stood no chance against the master earthbender. He'd seen her skills while he was taking a break from teaching the Avatar firebending.

"I, uh... Burnt myself during a training accident," he smirked at his witty thinking. Toph, though, only frowned.

"You hesitated," she paused. "And your heartbeat quickened. What's the_ truth_?" She inclined her chin in a quick gesture toward the hand that was planted firmly on the boulder.

Damn. Boulder. Boulders were earth too, weren't they? She could 'see' his vibrations.

"_Fine_," He rolled his eyes, as he tried to come up with another answer. "It really was a training accident, though. I was trying to make lightning, and it back-fired." He was surprised at how sure of himself he sounded. "It just sort of exploded in my face, though I was pointing it toward the mountains."

"You sure of that?" Toph asked.

The Prince sighed, not only from her 'seeing' through his lies, but also the fact that his broken arm was throbbing uncontrollably. "My father," he answered quietly, almost regretfully. "Okay?"

"Your father?" She didn't sound as incredulous as he'd expected her to be. "And finally, the truth comes."

"Zuko!" Katara cried, as she came crashing through a thicket. _Just _after the answer came out. Sus-_pic-_ious! (AN: That's just the way I wanted to pronounce it!!)

In one pain-filled swipe, the Prince hid his arm from her line of view. "What?" He growled, hoping to mask the pain from his voice. It didn't work.

"What's with _that_?" Toph leaned toward him, whispering. "Katara comes near you and your heartbeat speeds up, tenfold?" She smirked rebelliously. "_Oooh_."

"Yeah, you wish!" He turned his nose upward slightly, almost as if he'd been trained to do so, and scooted away from Toph on the boulder they shared, forgetting to hide his grimace from the bruises on his thighs as they were scraped along rock.

"Lemme see your arm." The waterbender walked forward, stopping just short of the massive rocks. "Zuko, come on."

"Katara, maybe you should-" Sokka was cut short, as the injured teen had turned to give him a death glare. He shrank back a little. "Maybe I'll just go get those fruits..." Without further warning, he scampered into the forest, leaving his sister alone with Toph and the Fire Nation Prince.

Scowling, Zuko turned back toward the water. "I'll be fine," his voice came out in a low growl- half because of his anger, and half because of his current suffering.

"_Sure_," Aang's earthbending master muttered. Rolling the bottom of her pants down once more, she crawled off the boulder and walked past Katara. "Good luck." She added a soft, "Good riddance." When out of earshot.

The waterbender took a seat next to him on the boulder, sitting on her legs, as she didn't want to get them wet in the water. "Your father really gave you your scar?" She asked in a half-whisper. He only grunted in a reply. "What for?" She inquired gently.

"None of your business!" He hissed, his voice ragged. He closed his golden eyes as he leaned back, cradling his arm gently. "Just go away. I can splint it myself." _Unless it's out of its socket_. He added mentally, almost as an after-thought.

Unbeknownst to him, the waterbender was gathering a small orb of her element on her left hand, while her right shimmied up his shoulder in a caring caress. He stiffened. "I can help." She whispered. "Just tell me. I'll make the pain go away."

"No." He said in a defiant, firm tone. He attempted to relax his clenched muscles, but it didn't work. They stayed contracted, his heart fluttering madly. _Just the pain_. He informed himself. _It's just the pain making you act this way_. A sudden image of Jin pressing her soft lips against his fluttered into his mind, forcing him to mentally groan. _You don't think of her like that! _His conscience was telling himself. _She's practically a peer!_

"So tense," she muttered, running her hand against a knot on his back. She gently kneaded at it, hoping to get his mind off of his wound, just long enough for her plan to work. "I'll tell you one secret about myself, if you tell me how you got your scar. I'll even heal you. Just tell me."_Seems fair enough, _he thought, before grimacing. She didn't need to know! Though, he did have one question on his mind. "Fine." He could've sworn he'd heard her breathe out a sigh of relief. "What's so special about that necklace?" He threw back at her, over his broad shoulder.

"It was my mother's," she elaborated. "It used to belong to my grandmother. It was carved for her many years ago by her arranged husband, Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe." _Sexist jerk_. She remembered how he'd acted when Aang taught her the waterbending he learned from the Master waterbender. "Gran-Gran ran away, to escape the marriage, and she went to the South Pole. She gave this necklace to my mother, and made her swear that she'd give this to me when I was old enough to be married." Her cerulean eyes seemed to glaze-over with unshed tears. "She gave it to me when the Fire Nation raided our village," her voice wasn't as strong as it had been, previously. "The night she was killed, defending our tribe." She sighed softly, swiping at her traitorous tears. "Your turn."

He, too, sighed, though he sounded exasperated. _Should you tell her the truth, or the stupid training accident story? _Before his mind had a chance to answer, he was already speaking. "I donned my armor one day, when I was fourteen. I marched up to the war room, but was refused entrance." He stared off into the distance, as if he was daydreaming. "My uncle allowed me inside, because I claimed I wanted to be the best Fire Lord I could be when I took the throne. He only told me that I shouldn't speak out of turn."

"Which also means hold your tongue?" She asked softly, sending him a swift glance from the corner of her eye.

"Exactly." He paused before taking a deep breath and continuing. "When an old general said.." He paused, remembering the exact words. " 'What better to use as bait than fresh meat?' I objected to sacrificing an entirely new recruit to the powerful earthbenders. I was challenged to an Agni Kai, as I spoke out of turn."

"A what?" She queried.

"A fire duel. The most sacred of rites in the Fire Nation." He elaborated calmly.

"Oh." She smiled sadly. "Continue."

"When I turned after the battle began, I was startled to realize it was my own father, and not the elder general." He clenched his jaw's muscles for a moment. "I _apologized_. I dropped to my _knees_, _begging_ him to stop, but he wouldn't listen." He took a low tone. " ' _You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher_.' " He sneered at the water's surface. "That's how it happened. He struck me, disallowing me the service of a healer. It was to be my marr, my mark of stupidity. My mark of dishonor." He gritted his teeth. "I got banished, sent to chase the Avatar on a fool's errand. Satisfied?"

The waterbender saw, just before he turned away, a small tear escaping his eyelid. He pretended to scratch at his eye while wiping the tear away. "I don't offer you my pity," she informed him, though she was lying. She wouldn't offer him her pity to his face, anyway. He hissed angrily when her hand touched his broken arm, healing it with the water she'd been collecting.

"I don't need your pity." He whispered when she was done.

_I knew he'd say that_. She released his arm, satisfied with her quick work. She'd been getting better and better at the healing-gig!

"That's why I offer you no pity, no sympathy." She feigned being emotionless. "Ozai doesn't deserve a son like you." She informed him cooly. Gathering more water, she reached out a hand to his tunic.

Access, den-_ied_. "What're you doing?" He demanded, sending her a slight glare. He was still attempting to ponder over what she'd just said. _Ozai doesn't deserve a son like you_. What was that supposed to mean?

"Healing, it's what I do." This time, she succeeded in lifting his shirt, just high enough to get some of the bruises and cuts that lay behind his ripped tunic.

"That's enough," he jerked the fabric from her hand and swung a long leg over the edge of the boulder. He slid down, holding back a grimace.. He was still hurt. "I'm fine." He began to grumble as he walked away, attempting to cover his limp- he began speaking his thoughts aloud. "Why'd you do that, Zuko? You idiot. Just another weakness. You shouldn't have done something so-" his voice was growing quieter as he stalked off, so Katara had to strain to hear him. ".. nothing... stupid... you idiot!" The last part he said loudly, thinking that he was out of range

"Really, Prince Zuko, why'd you do that?" She questioned no one in particular, staring out at what ripples were left on the water's surface.


	6. Contagious

Zuko slumped down onto a fallen tree, whose rotting carcass gave a loud crunch under his weight. He ignored it, wearily eyeing his healed arm. He was still holding it away from his body, as if he feared it might still be hurt. Though he'd told Katara his deepest, darkest, innermost secret, he didn't put complete trust into her. How... Stupid.

He carefully raised and lowered his arm in a slow flapping motion. Though there was a remnant of soreness, he no longer felt the jolts of pain from before.

"What'd you get yourself into?" He questioned aloud, shaking his head. _You could've atleast not added the 'got onto my knees and begged' part! _

"You opened up, that's what you did." Katara- the causer of his silent torment- was walking toward him, smiling shyly.

"Maybe you shouldn't-" It was too late. She'd sat next to him, their increased weight forcing the tree's rotting trunk to cave in, and give way. She instinctively caught his arm in her slender fingers as they tumbled a little ways away from the splintered wood.

"You okay?" He was about to ask more, but his voice was drowned out by her uproarious laughter.

The Prince found himself frowning at her strange behavior. _How dare she laugh at me- Prince of the Fire Nation! _His mind was howling, _She_.._ She doesn't even deserve to have my company!_

"I.. Probably.. Look like.. An.. An idiot." He heard her pant through a series of laughs.

There was something wrong. Something terribly, _terribly _wrong. The corners of his lips were turning up. Not in his trademark smirk, or even one of those tight-lipped smiles that he forced, which he'd been _born _and bredto do, back in the Fire Nation. A real, _genuine _smile. This girl was poison! She was contagious! Her _stupid _attitude was being rubbed off on _him_!

That was the only explination!!

Katara took no notice of his obvious delima, one hand still holding him down by the sleeve. She was taking her time to wipe tears of mirth from her eyes, while attempting to stifle her own giggles. She turned to him slightly when she stopped laughing. "I guess I should've listened to you, huh?" She whispered, laying back to view the clouds, which were far past the tree tops.

"Can you let go?"

"Oh!" She released her death grip on his linen sleeve, blushing lightly. "Oops."

He hid his small smile with an humorless frown, angry with himself. He knew that his eyes betrayed him, though, when she looked over and smiled thoughtfully, still laying by his side.

_DAMMIT! _Zuko couldn't help it. He cracked a smile, which only made the waterbender's eyes glow. He quickly transformed it into a smirk as he came up with the best comeback he could think of on such short notice. "Yeah, you did look like an idiot."

Her blissful smile dissapeared, replaced by a frown, and her radiance had dulled. Then, she was smiling again, as if it had never happened. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Before she had time to shed more of her contagious attitude on him, he was on his feet, holding a hand out to her. She took it in hers gently, gasping softly when his capable arms pulled her into an upright position. He released her, and in one fluid movement, he was leaving; vacating the premisis without so much as a 'good bye'.

"Bye to you, too, Zuko." Katara muttered, picking at the remnants of rotted bark that clung to her blue tunic.

--

"Idiot..." Zuko was muttering, storming off in the general direction of their encampment. "You could you have done that?" He demanded, not noticing anothers' presence. "Smile..." He grumbled. "Stupid girl, just ripped your pride, right in half!" He replayed the scene in his head, still not noticing the footfalls behind him. "You shouldn't have let her heal your goddamn arm, dumb ass!" He fell into a volley of varying curses, all directed toward a certain waterbender.

Finally, and quite suddenly, he noticed the others' presence.

"Uncle!" He cried, his voice raising an octive. He felt his face flush slightly, at being so deep in his thoughts. Iroh was staring at him thoughtfully, a small grin plastered on his face.

"The Water Tribe warrior informed me of an injury you'd recently aquired?" The retiree looked down at his now un-injured arm. "But I can see that you got help from the healer."

"Yeah..." The Prince whispered, averting his amber gaze elsewhere. He began to walk, his uncle at his side.

"Lady Troubles?" Iroh offered, his stupid grin growing wider at his nephew's blush.

"No!" He said quickly... Too quickly.

"The waterbender?" He was unperturbed his brother's son's anger.

"N-no! Of course not! Th-that peasant?" After this spluttering, he choked out a few peals of sarcastic laughter. "Hell no!" He finally regained his voice, thankful to Agni that he had.

"I see." The Dragon of the West was pondering this. "... How long have you liked her?" Judging by the intense silence, Iroh judged that he did, indeed, like the Water Tribe girl. "Tell me, what traits do you like about her?" Nothing. "She's a great fighter, no?" Once again, silence. "Quite selfless, if you ask me."

"She's my element's opposite, Uncle." He'd been taking his time composing himself, mentally meditating to not verbally attack anyone... Or physically. "We're of differing nations." He'd adopted his business-tone. "Even if I did like her- if only a little bit- nothing would ever work out." He swallowed thickly. "Besides, she's the Avatar's pet."

"Pet?" Iroh demanded, making the Prince jump at his anger. "Prince Zuko, I thought I'd taught you better than that!"

Zuko couldn't help but chuckle. "Uncle, you should've seen your face!"

"Pet..." The tea-lover was grumbling. "She's a woman, Zuko. She has feelings, too."

The Prince sighed. "That too." He paused before explaining. "I don't want to deal with the many fickle moods of women." He shuddered. "Especially a master waterbender." With that, he walked away, all hopes of _any_ relationship- even friendship- gone from his mind. They were acquaintances, that was it.

As for Iroh... Well, that old match-maker was more determined than ever.

**Short, I know. Sorry I stink at updating... Too many assignments are going on at school, and I was kinda late with turning a MAJOR one in, and I'm kind of... Well, let's just say, I might be failing maths!**


	7. Zuko's PMS

"Get in your stance."

"Okay-"

"Wider!"

"But-"

"Wider!" Aang realized how much his firebending teacher sounded like Master Jeong-Jeong. The multi-bender widened his stance, only to be turned upon by an angry prince. "When I say wider, I mean _wider_!" He hissed through clenched teeth, one bare foot shooting out. The heel of his foot hit Aang's own feet to the side, forcing his horse stance wider.

"Don't you ever loosen up?" The airbender asked, before Zuko wheeled around to face him.

"No!" He growled, glaring at him. He was only taking his anger out on his pupil, as there was no one else to endure his wrath. "Have you ever used firebending?" He asked, his voice overly-calm. Anyone with ears could tell that he was attempting to not bite someone's head off, or break into a angry fit.

"Just once." Aang answered, becoming quite guilty.

"Were you successful?"

"Yes."

"How much did you conjur?" Zuko asked, his eyes closed as if he were in a meditative state. "What did you learn? Who was your teacher?" The questions came slowly, thick against the prince's heavy tongue.

"Um..." Aang paused. "Enough fire to burn Katara's hands. I learned how to squat and breathe, and stare at a leaf... Jeong-Jeong, the Deserter, taught me that much."

"We'll start with varying stances." The prince paused, opening his golden eyes. His gaze focused on nothing in particular. "A few forms. We'll see how well you can accomplish the movements before we actually throw fire in." He turned his gaze, locking it with Aang's gray eyes. "I won't have you being reckless with the flames, especially if you already hurt the waterbender once before."

"Her name's Katara." The younger boy corrected, a slight hint of anger in his tone. "Not 'waterbender' or 'peasant'."

"I'm not her friend. I'm not anything to her, Avatar." Zuko's tone was cold; controlled. "She's nothing to me." He was stating these things simply, as if he were speaking the time of day. "She's an acquaintance of my student. Nothing more. If I don't wish to call her by name, I won't."

"Jeez," Aang grumbled half-heartedly. He'd really thought Katara had begun to break down the prince. He guessed he was wrong.

"Airbend." Zuko commanded. "I want to see how different your element is from my own."

"Okay!" He sounded cheerful once more, happy to be with something he knew. Something familiar to himself. He launched himself onto an airscooter, zipping about the area. Suddenly, he was lashed out with fire, forcing him to jump off of his scooter.

"Stop!" His sifu hissed angrily. "Show me something where you're in the defensive positioning. Go!" He threw a simple fireball toward the young boy, who easily redirected it with a strong current of air. He nodded thoughtfully, before speaking. "Offensive positioning! Go!" Zuko had to do a small tumble to avoid the wave of air sent at him, sharp as a knife's blade.

"Don't you ever smile?" Aang asked, standing there awkwardly.

_Your stupid water wench forced me to_.. He thought, remembering the previous day's events. "No. I don't. Smiling has to do with happiness, Avatar. Happiness is just an illusion to keep you going in life. To distract you from reality. I'd rather just stay in the present." He was frowning inwardly, though, on the outside he was stoic. "I need to keep an eye on my back at all times."

"Well, we have a whole camp to keep an eye on our backs." Aang smiled widely. "Why not have some fun, right now?" He was hoping for a break, even though he'd just started the day's training. He was still tired from being awoken so early in the morning.

"Fine..." Zuko paused, remembering something his uncle had taught him, early in his own trainings. "I can't believe I'm going to do this." He paused, sighing as he formed an orb of fire in his palm. "Airbender, let's play catch."

"Catch?" Aang sounded excited as he looked around. "But... There's no ball."

"We have fire." The prince explained calmly. He took a few steps forward, easily passing the glob of fire to Aang.

"Woah!" The Avatar tipped slightly, reaching out for the ball. He was grinning- no- _beaming _when he caught it, pushing it toward the prince with his own bending. They volleyed it back and forth for a few moments, allowing the multi-bender to get used to the feel of using fire.

"Now, Avatar." Zuko's voice stopped him from passing it back to the prince. "Why not get a little more competetive?"

"Is that a challenge I hear?"

--

"So, Toph-" Katara paused, stopping just short of the clearing where Aang and Zuko had been training.

"What is it, Miss Katara?" Iroh was there, too, standing behind the blind girl.

"What're they doing?" Pondered the waterbender aloud, leaning through the trees to get a better look. From what she could tell, Aang and the fire Prince were playing... Catch. Only, they were doing small flips and dodges- a few tumbles here and there- as they chased after the fireball they hurled at one another.

"Is that the best you got?!" She heard Aang call, just before he threw the fireball over his bald head. Zuko flew to the left for it, just able to bat it back before he landed on the trampled grass with a muffled thud.

"Hell no!" He shouted back, scrambling to his feet. Aang suddenly hurled the firey orb into the sky. The flames seemed to hover there for a moment, before they came plummeting back to earth, where Zuko was waiting. The Prince executed a perfect spinnning kick, as he flew into the air, leg outstretched to kick the orb. And kick, it did. At the shear force of the firebender's powerful leg, the fireball was missed by Aang, who'd frantically jumped for it.

Katara looked from Aang, to Zuko, who'd landed perfectly, panting softly. "Well, Avatar," she heard him speaking. "I look forward to playing catch when you're a master."

"Well, done, nephew!" Iroh suddenly sped out of his hiding place. "Why, I remember when you were a child! You were so impatient to learn your forms!" Katara could see a light blush staining the Prince's pale cheeks. "I had to teach you to play catch, so you could make your sister jealous!"

"Did it work?" Aang chirped, eager to be a part of the conversation.

"No!"

"_Uncle_," Zuko warned in an undertone. "I don't want to discuss matters of the family with anyone." He grew angry again, glaring at his family member. "Remember how you told _everyone _on the ship how I got my scar?" His uncle nodded. "Don't do it again!" The prince hissed, stalking toward Katara and Toph- or atleast, where they hid behind some trees.

"Is the story embarrassing?" The Avatar asked Iroh, when his firebending teacher was out of earshot.

"No, actually, it's quite heroic, with a sad ending..." Iroh slung his arm around Aang's shoulder. "I know he told me not to tell, but I shall. Just so you know why, at times, he may be a little... Angry, with the world in general. Especially with... _'That'_ time coming up."

"What time?" Aang's cutiousity was piqued as Iroh lead him away.

"What time is that?" Toph demanded, quiet when the prince passed. "Does he have PMS or something?"

Katara managed a giggle at how forward Toph was being. "Well, I guess we'll just have to find out. Aang'll tell us when Iroh's done with him."

"I swear, it's the end of the month... It could be PMS; you never know Katara." The two burst out laughing, though, on the inside, they were eager to hear what Aang would have to say.


	8. The Blue Spirit

"W-was Iroh... Really telling the truth?" Katara asked in a slight stutter, as soon as Aang had finished retelling the story of the prince's banishment. Iroh had, apparantly, told him about the prince's life since the day his mother dissapeared. The day Ozai became Fire Lord.

Toph, who had been abnormally quiet during the story, spoke up on the ex-General's behalf. "He wouldn't lie about something like this!" She whispered in an indifferent tone, staring with unseeing eyes at the ground.

"He sounded like it. I'm sure he was telling the truth." The bald monk, who was sitting in the lotus position, looked up from the fire. He held Katara's gaze for a moment, before he returned to the dancing flames.

"I'd always thought of Zuko as a power-hungry, maniacal prince-" The waterbender was cut off.

"A pompous hot-head who thought nothing of others-" Toph continued, until Aang chirped up.

"Who'd do anything to get his way." He finished, happy that he'd been able to be a part of the conversation.

"But now... I just can't. I _can't_ think that." Katara paused, before elaborating. "He was hurt, Aang; misguided by a man who he loved, striving to impress. Misguided by his own father, who thought of him as scum. The way you put the story... He'd lost everything until his uncle showed up. His father showed no compassion-"

Aang's brows were furrowed slightly as he spoke. "According to Iroh, Zuko didn't give, or get love freely. Oneself had to earn it."

"Right." She sighed softly, before staring at the fire. "Aang- you, as the Avatar- gave him hope for normalcy. I probably would've done the same thing as him," she added guiltily. "I would've betrayed everyone, too, if I were in his shoes. I mean, a chance to get something I've always wanted?" She looked thoughtful as the last rays of sunlight dissapeared behind the mountains, past the forests. "His sister _did _sound pretty convincing back at the Crystal Catacombs..."

"Katara, Azula's... _Evil_. Not an annoying 'evil'... Evil, as in: 'She-Would-Kill-You-At-The-First-Chance-She-Got-_evil_' .." Aang caught her gaze; he was being completely serious. "I don't want you to ever fight her. I don't want you to get mixed up with her... At Zuko's Agni Kai- the Fire Duel- she was watching, a smirk on her face as her brother was struck down..." Katara gasped softly upon hearing this tid-bit of information. "Iroh turned away, but he knew. He knew.." Aang broke off as Toph raised a hand to silence him.

"He's coming. Zuko's coming." The waterbender was half-surprised that her earthbending friend had called him by name; not Hot-Head, or Sparky... Zuko. Just, Zuko.

"Wait, Aang, didn't you say that.. His mom dissapeared, on his tenth birthday?" She leaned forward, lowering her voice when she heard the prince coming up from not far off. "Then, just days after his fourteenth birthday, he was banished, right?"

"Yeah..." The airbender spoke softly, as he, too, knew that Zuko was coming at a slow pace.

"Iroh said that _'that' _time was coming up!" She hissed quietly, watching with a weary eye as a small glow appeared to their left.

"His birthday..." Toph spoke softly, her tone low and facial expression unreadable.

"His mother's dissapearance.." Aang added in an undertone.

"His banishment." Katara looked like she'd seen a ghost, her eyes were so wide, as Zuko neared. As he walked past, she noted how his fists were clenched so tightly, that his knuckles were turning white. His shoulders were squared, with his jaw set. He walked forward until he was at the small spot that his uncle had set up for him. Bypassing the first sleeping bag, he leaned over, digging through a leather sack.

"What'cha doin'?" Aang asked in a carefree, light tone. His eyes showed quite the raging emotions, though. His gray gaze seemed worried as he trained it on the prince's back.

"Leaving." The prince growled, his tone overly angry. He gave them a glare that spoke for itself: _you-don't-know'anything-and-you-wouldn't-care_. He tossed a black outfit over his shoulder, hitching an object under his arm as he retreived yet another thing, from under his sleeping sack. The scabbard of a sword, two hilts appearing just above the topmost ending.

"Where?" The multi-bender was already on his feet, looking quite anxious. "When're you coming back?"

"By morning." The prince ground out, through clenched teeth. _Most likely_.. The prince added mentally.

"Blue Spirit?" Aang asked, seeing a glint of blue, just past the prince's arm. Zuko grunted in return. "Why? Why do you feel the need to do this?"

"It's the only thing I can do right." He replied, ducking into the forest once more.

"Why doesn't he get it?" Katara demanded.

"Get _what_?" Toph asked, her normal smug-looking smirk gone. She seemed to be contemplating the whole 'Zuko' issue.

"He _can _do other things right." Aang explained calmly, taking his seat once more. "He just doesn't get it."

"Wait... _Blue Spirit_?" Katara demanded. "Aang! That's... That's impossible!"

"No, it's not." The Avatar sighed. "He was the one who rescued me from Zhao." He groaned softly. "He _is _the Blue Spirit. A skilled swordsmen..."

"Does he ever use..." She paused, her gaze flitting toward the campfire. "Firebending?"

"Not that I've seen. Just.. Swords."

"What kind?" The earthbending girl was surprised, and even a little interested that the prince knew traditional weaponry.

"Broadswords." Aang sat back. "He had a hard life, I take it. Even being a prince, and getting what you want is hard..."

"That's the whole problem." The female waterbender sat forward on the log she'd been seated on. "He _didn't _get what he wanted."

"He's was a prince, with the nation that had the largest economy in his father's hands-" Toph was interrupted.

"He wanted _love_, Toph. He _wanted_ kindness. He never got it."

"And what're _you_ going to do about it?" The earthbender asked, insulted that she'd been cut off from her slight rant.

"I want your guy's help to show him that he _does _have people who care for him..." Katara paused. "We'd take a hit for him, right, guys?"

"Not me." Sokka, who'd been unormally quiet, chirped. "Just because he's with us, and I _had _heard his sob story, I won't take a hit for him..." His tone was serious, implying that he still didn't care for the prince's well-being, while on the inside, he did.

"Yeah, well, I would, Sokka." The waterbender stood. "He deserves it, no matter what he's done. Aang, Toph, let's plan."

"_Plan_?" Her brother demanded.

"We have to show him how much he means to us... Somehow." She sighed softly. "Any ideas?"

"Me! Me!" Sokka cried, suddenly wanting to be apart of the 'fun'.

"But you just said-" Sokka interrupted Aang.

"But I'm the idea-guy!" The boomerang wielder gestured toward himself. "I don't have to _like _him, or even be apart of this plan, but I can help. I really can!"

"Fine..." Katara grumbled half-heartedly. "Well, what is it?" They all leaned in to hear this 'plot', while another, unbeknownst to them, listened in.

_I have an idea, too_... Iroh was thinking, his gaze lingering on Katara's back. _You, waterbender, are going to give him all of the kindness he's ever needed_... A devious smirk formed on the old man's face as he plotted silently, slinking toward the river.


End file.
